‘Why do so many gospel churches favour the rich?’

“There is nothing inherently admirable about people with money. Why, then, do so many gospel churches favour the rich?” That was the challenge given by Steve Kneale at a recent conference, challenging leaders to a “religion that is pure and undefiled” (James 2:27).

Many ministries target the rich and successful for “strategic” reasons, but does that mean we have shown favouritism in our giving to mission? It is much harder to fund gospel work among the poor; there is no payback and lots of help is needed.

Steve Kneale described how, arriving at a church dressed in trackie bottoms, hoodie and baseball cap, he often gets a hostile reaction, until he tells them he is their speaker! Given similar treatment, entire social groups stay outside church because they think no one looks like them. Churches that have no poor among them need to ask why that is. Does it reflect the culture of their church gatherings, which are pitched too strongly towards middle-class culture?

Steve was speaking at a conference earlier this year for 90 pastors and elders from Grace Baptist churches. The theme was “pastoring all the flock”. Steve Smith from Bethesda Ipswich (and formerly SIM UK) led a stimulating session on developing deeply intercultural churches; challenging us to let people from other nations and cultures to own, shape and lead our churches.

Phil Heaps (Highbury) preached from Matthew 23 on seven helpful pastoral lessons from the bad example of the Pharisees.

The keynote speaker was Steve Auld from Great Victoria Street Baptist Church, Belfast, who warmed our hearts with three expositions of Jesus the Good Shepherd, encouraging us to love the flock, to share our lives with them, not to envy other ministries, and to trust God’s goodness and mercy to follow us throughout our ministries.